Time was not on my side. I knew I had promised Mishy I would pick up a bottle of Inniskillin's Dark Horse Vineyard Ice Wine for her to contribute to the tasting she was organizing at Vancouver's Hamilton Street Grill. The winery closed promptly at five. I arrived about three minutes after. This meant I best stay the night in Osoyoos. I took Highway 97, following the path of the Okanagan River, past several wineries, all closed though, with the exception of one. The crudely hand written roadside sign directs one to the ramshackle tasting room of Gersighel Wineberg. Due to the lack of air conditioning and refrigeration inside the winery, it was like a bloody sauna. Drinking hot Pinot is not fun so I bid farewell and headed to the touristy beach town of Osoyoos. I found a place to stay, I ate, and I sipped on my iced Sauvignon, swam in the lake and made plans for the following day.

Well rested and fed, I took off heading north to wine country. The valley is separated into several different appellations. I was heading towards the Black Sage Rd. wine region, which I was warned is grizzly bear and snake country. No quick dips in the river here for me.

My first call of the day was Burrowing Owl. From a distance, with disrespect to the architect, the winery bears a resemblance to Southern ferryboat that left the Mississippi River and found its way to the side of a rock-strewn mountain. Driving closer, the state of the art wine making facility becomes more apparent. The building houses a contemporary tasting room and a restaurant that has an elevated patio around two sides of the building.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2003, $20.00: I note cooked apple, honey, canned fruit cocktail, a touch of melon and pineapple on the nose. It's a rich and well balanced wine with a creamy hazelnut flavour and a touch of lime zest on the finish.

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2002 $27.00: This has lots of spicy blackberry and sour cherry fruit with a backdrop of fresh thyme and sage. The fruit profile on the palate is full of vibrant blackberry along with flavours of dark chocolate, tobacco and mocha. It is full bodied and given what I was told about how great 2002 was for the valley, it should hold for years.

Burrowing Owl Merlot 2002 $25.00: A full bodied wine that has tons of spice, smoky tobacco, black cherry, black raspberry, geranium and vanilla. I note similar blackberry and cherry flavours on the mid palate only this time there is a touch of licorice. The complete wine has a velvety chocolate texture.

Although it was barely 11.00 am when I approached Desert Hills Winery, the heat of the sun was incredibly intense. Randy (left), Jessie and Dave Toor opened Desert Hills in 2003. They had previously operated as grape growers and sold their crop to other wineries. The winery is off the beaten track deep in the heart of the Black Sage Bench. Not only was my car the only car on the lot, it was the only car to be seen for miles. Although Randy and his two brothers were born in India, they grew up in Winnipeg before moving to the west coast to pursue their dream of making wine. And make wine they do.

Desert Hills Chardonnay 2001, $13.90: This oak free Chardonnay shows an honest concentration of apple, pear, honeydew melon and citrus peel. The acids are light, but refreshing, a medium bodied finish shows a little spiciness.

Desert Hills Gamay 2002, $15.90: I find notes of balsawood, plum, toffee and black fruit. This is big for a Gamay and a year in the bottle might prove beneficial. The acids are in excellent harmony with the rich dark fruit.

Desert Hills Meritage 2000, $24.90: Here is a multidimensional nose revealing layers of medicinal cough syrup, Moroccan couscous, cinnamon, blackberry and blackcurrant. Although it shows a depth of silky tannin on the palate, the fruit takes center stage and is backed with a perfectly controlled degree of acidity.

Desert Hills Syrah 2001, $27.90: A blast of sweet oak, white pepper and licorice root gives way to layers of black fruit, raspberry, black cherry and black raspberry. This full bodied monster finish with a delightful creamy/spicy texture.

Mishy had told me I should seek out Black Hills Winery and try the Nota Bene, a Bordeaux blend, said by some, to be one of the finest wines produced in the valley. I chose to ignore the sign that stated, "No wine All sold out". Yeah right, I thought, they have to have some reserve stashed away somewhere. I stepped over several sleepy guard dogs shading from the sun and stepped inside the small half-barrel shaped winery. "Hello" I said. "We have no more wine" replied a female voice, and judging from her tone, I was not the first to disregard the warning. Off to the side, in a small room cluttered with test tubes, sample jars and other such winemaking paraphernalia, sat the winemaker, obviously deep into her work.
 
I introduced myself, apologized for the intrusion and pleaded my case, "came all the way from Ontario" blah blah blah. Senka Tennant, with whom I was conversing, explained to me that most of her wines sell out almost before they are bottled. Senka was kind enough to take the time to give me a rundown of what the winery produces. They make three wines. A Bordeaux blend called Nota Bene, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon combination named Alibi and Sequentia, a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Although I never got to try the wines made here, Mishy was kind enough to part with a bottle for me to try back home. I read somewhere later on that Senka Tennant often spends time in the Loire Valley to visit with her a good friend Didier Dagueneau, I imagine the Alibi is a mighty fine bottle of wine too, based on the company she keeps.

A few clicks north of Black Sage Bench on Highway 97 lies a region called the "Golden Mile." I followed a sign for Golden Mile Cellars. The road took me quite a way up the mountain and as I approached the winery, I thought the heat was getting to me as I thought I saw a medieval castle. Well as it turned out, my eyes were fine and there is in fact a medieval castle perched on the side of a mountain in BC.

Golden Mile Chardonnay/Semillon, Luckhurst Family Vineyards 2001, $27.95: This 65%/35% mix has some appealing mineral, apple, lemon balm, mandarin, vanilla and butterscotch notes on the nose. It is medium bodied with tastes of cooked fruit, hazelnut and a streak of acidity that renders it too tart for my taste.

Golden Mile Merlot Luckhurst Family Vineyards 2002, $27.95: At first there appears to be plenty of red fruit on the nose until a forest floor, mushroom and earthy component takes over. The palate shows a bizarre, but not unpleasant, mix of pepper, dark cherry, zinberry and toast. The finish is creamy and ripe. I would not pick this as a Merlot in a blind tasting, yet it is not an unpleasant wine.

Back on the road again and this time Inniskillin was open. Inniskillin established this estate winery in Okanagan in 1994, which commemorated 20 years of Inniskillin's first crush in Niagara. A local artist designed the labels. Great care was taken to ensure that the labels reflected the native heritage. The Okanagan winery is nothing in comparison to its big sister. It is a barn like structure that sits behind several large stainless steel fermentation tanks. The tasting room is small, but effective. The wines, well that is another story

Inniskillin Gewürztraminer: A nose of sweet apple, mango and passion fruit turns to ripe cantaloupe and canned pineapple syrup especially on the finish.

Inniskillin Viognier: This does little for me. There are some pretty whiffs of peach, nectarine and apricot. There is some sweetness on the palate that seems to subdue the fruit.